Silerado 5.3L cam Upgrade?

mikystyle · October 8, 2006

I have an 01 silderado with the 5.3l and im looking to upgrade the cam. I have an intake, cat-back and pcm program. The cam would probably be the last upgrade i do. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on brands or sites i can check out. I havent been able to find anyhting really. Im not looking for a huge change in lift, just a little extra hp. Thanks

Mark_in_Tulsa · October 8, 2006

Well you can talk to a CompCams rep, and they will really help you decided what to pick based on your mods....etc.

But on another note, to really take advantage of that cam, you will need another tune designed for it.

mikystyle · October 8, 2006

Well you can talk to a CompCams rep, and they will really help you decided what to pick based on your mods....etc.

But on another note, to really take advantage of that cam, you will need another tune designed for it.

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I would just send my pcm back to wait4me and they would retune it. Thanks for the help. Anyone have a cam uprgrade in there 5.3 that has any opinions?

mikystyle · October 9, 2006

I found this cam kit with springs and i was wondering what people thought. I dont have much experience with cam information like this so im not entirely sure if this kit is to extreme or not. My truck is an everyday driver and needs to last but i also like to run it pretty good. Let me know what you guys think and also if anything else would have to be done in order to install this kit.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...mMakeTrack=true

ZZebes · October 9, 2006

That is a good cam to use plus put a set of 1.85 Rocker arms from slp and your valve lift will be just north of .600 so that should produce excellen results with the proper tune. and if you do it than we definetly want numbers because i want to do the same thing

mikystyle · October 9, 2006

I dont think i would upgrade the rockers because i have limited funds and i can only afford the cam kit plus i dont really wanna go crazy with engine mods, this cam kit would be my last upgrade. IM just looken for a little more umph

ZZebes · October 9, 2006

I just called MTI and got my quote to get that cam installed and a dyno tune for the truck and i think this will DEFINITLEY be my next mod. Good find on the cam and springs

mikystyle · October 9, 2006

I just called MTI and got my quote to get that cam installed and a dyno tune for the truck and i think this will DEFINITLEY be my next mod. Good find on the cam and springs

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What did they quote you for the install?

ZZebes · October 10, 2006

if i bring everything but the Pushrods than it would be around $1200 start to finish including the custom dyno tune.

mikystyle · October 10, 2006

if i bring everything but the Pushrods than it would be around $1200 start to finish including the custom dyno tune.

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I just went to my performance shop and they quoted the exact same price. Thats a little steep for me, i think im gonna have to hold off for a while. I was really lookin forward to this too. Hey if u get it put in make sure to post how it is! I wanna know.

ZZebes · October 11, 2006

can do, i am doing a project for a client right now that should pay for this swap if i get the intestinal fortitude to do it.

99Silver6.0 · October 16, 2006

1.85 rockers are NOT a good idea with certain cams ramp rates. They are already aggressive enough. Most times Cam Motion, Thunder Racing, Texas Speed even notes its a bad idea to use them with their grinds. If you want 1.85 rockers. Heres my advice. GET A BIGGER CAM!!

On a side note. The cam listed in that eBay auction is a VERY bad idea in a 5.3 truck. Take note of the LSA or lobe seperation. That cam will pull to the moon. Which comes down to that cam making power high in the RPM band that you will never use. Unless you want to rev your truck to 6500-6800 for a shift. Comps 206/212, 212/218, 224/228 or something along those lines would be a better idea. Thunder Racing has a good grind called the "Old Man" cam that works well. If you want a nice lope like an old SBC, then look for a 112 LSA. I wouldnt take it much lower than that or youll have vacuum/tuning issues. 114 LSA will help pass emissions yet still lope slightly. You also have got to be careful not go too crazy on cam specs or you will be very upset with your low end power. If you are not willing to swap in a higher stall TQ converter you cant go too big on your cam!

Cam swap on these engines is CAKE!!!! Intake stays on, heads stay on. Its simple to swap!! Ive done it 6 times on my 99 and still want to go bigger!

www.ls1howto.com

Check out that site!!

ZZebes · October 17, 2006

I talked to the guys over at Motorsport Technologies and gave them the specs on that cam and they told me it would be a good cam to use. They also had a dyno slip of a truck exactly like mine with an almost identical cam and it showed a really nice power band including really good low end improvements. So i am confused

99Silver6.0 · October 17, 2006

I talked to the guys over at Motorsport Technologies and gave them the specs on that cam and they told me it would be a good cam to use. They also had a dyno slip of a truck exactly like mine with an almost identical cam and it showed a really nice power band including really good low end improvements. So i am confused

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Can you get exact cam specs??? Identical and almost identical are 2 different things. What kind of truck was it in? 4.8, 5.3 or 6.0? Stalled? Stock heads? Reg cab, X-cab? Long tubes? No cats?

118.5 is a retarded high LSA and I would never use it in a truck. There are many, many other better N/A cam choices out there. That LPE cam would be a good cam for juice or boost because of the tight lobe seperation angle. And thats about it IMO. Also keep in mind. A cam that works great in an LS1/6 wont work so "great" in a smaller cubed, lower CR 5.3!!

Heres a GOOD cam info page for the GM LS truck engines. Count how many high LSA cams are in that list. I guarantee youll only see one. And its the crapper GM "HotCam."

http://www.fastruck.net/caminfo.htm

ken1mod · November 3, 2006

I installed a low end power high torque economy cam in a chevy some years ago. It was great, It made less total power at 6000 rpm but great gobs more at 3000. great fun all my friends and I loved it. Bigger cams suck and make the engine anemic until 4000 rpm. Unless you are a racer, smaller cams can be much more fun. really.

Ken